As swine farming becomes an increasingly commercial activity, there is an increased emphasis on labor, feeding levels, productivity, and welfare of the swine. The feeding of gestating swine is an area of particular concern to today's farmer.
Feeding levels of gestating swine vary widely based on weight, body condition, and other factors. Appropriate daily nutrient intakes are necessary to insure optimum productivity and welfare. Individual housing systems for sows have improved accuracy as compared to group housing systems. However, several limitations still exist with systems that deliver the diet from a volumetric dispenser into a trough used for both feed and water. Dropping feed into a common trough without dividers between individual sows does not have a high level of feeding accuracy, results in a gorge feeding pattern, increases feed spillage into alleys, and requires removal of water access prior to feeding.
It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus which would improve feeding level accuracy, labor efficiency, and welfare of individually housed gestating swine.